Seven Days of Loving You
by Welcome to the Carnival
Summary: Seven days were enough to get you attached to a person. Seven days were enough to drive you insane. And I certainly wasn't getting any saner, sitting here and thinking about Chad. [COMPLETE]
1. Wednesday

**Hey :) Well I've decided to start a new multichapter, but it will only be seven chapters long, as you might have found from the title! They will be reasonably short...**

**Well, hope you enjoy it :D I just had this idea a few hours ago so let's see how well it turns out...**

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><p><em><strong>Seven Days of Loving You<strong>_

A week usually starts with a Monday.

Not for me, though. Not this time.

This was one of those weeks when everything went wrong, but it was just what I wanted.

Truthfully - Chad wasn't the one on my mind. Not even close. But that's not really the point...because we don't always get what we _want_, we get what we _deserve_. Maybe I just didn't deserve someone _perfect_.

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><p>It had started on a Wednesday. For me, it was always the worst day of the week...somewhere in the middle, too far from the previous week and not close enough to the weekend. Lonely, even. And so was I...sitting alone in the commissary, half of my cast at home sick and the other half at rehearsals.<p>

I, however, was not. I was alone.

It was raining harder than ever. I didn't like it. The raindrops seemed to be aiming themselves directly at me...at the window behind my table.

I tried to turn my back. I tried to look away, but it frightened me...

The possibility of one of those drops breaking through the window, leaving shattered glass and broken dreams.

I couldn't get that fear out of my mind.

He came up to me to tease me about So Random - as usual. But to me it was so much more: he'd come to save me from my thoughts. He'd come to save me from myself.

Loneliness was driving me insane.

"Hey Sonny." He smirked, ready to begin his daily taunting routine. But then he saw my face and froze, a worried look on his face, "Sonny? Are...are you alright?"

I sighed, looking down at the table. If only my cast had been here...I missed them like crazy, and idle chat about the weather with the nice receptionist wasn't going to make up for it. There were so many distractions, but none of them truly significant enough to get my mind off the desperation I felt. I needed to talk to someone. I needed to feel important.

"Chad...do you like me?" It was a pressing question, but it implied nothing more.

He stammered something in reply, unable to hide his shock.

"It's not a big deal!" I laughed. Suddenly I felt like the happiest person in the world. "It's just a question."

"Well what if I'd asked you the same thing?"

We both paused. I shook my head in wonder and patted the seat beside me. He sat down, smiling genuinely. I'd never seen him like this.

"So...you're alone then?" He murmured, his eyes bright with excitement...as if it was overflowing. Just spilling out. I smiled - I couldn't help it; madness my body's natural reaction to Chad Dylan Cooper.

"Uh huh..."

I was getting lost in his eyes. Damn you, jerkthrob.

We stayed like that for a few seconds...as if mesmerized.

I couldn't take it - he was looking at me. No, he was _staring_ at me...this was _not_ normal. Would this have happened if Tawni or Nico were here? No. Would this have happened if his cast had dragged him back to their table? No. Would this have happened if I had been more careful?

No.

I had to control myself (while my cast were gone, anyway...with them back, they could take over that job), and sadly that meant staying as far away from Chad Dylan Cooper as possible...

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><p><strong>Please review and tell me whatcha think! Don't forget there will only be seven chapters, so I will try to update often! Love you all :D<strong>

_**-Leenie**_


	2. Thursday

**Hey everyone! Thanks so much for your awesome reviews, alerts and faves! You guys are amazing :D **

**I'm glad you all like it so far, but this is just a fun idea that came into my head, so I'm not demanding anything :P_  
><em>**

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><p><strong><em>Thursday<em>**

Staying away from the three-named jerkthrob proved much harder than I thought it would be. Truthfully, I didn't even like him. Not one bit. Not even a little. How could I, when he was just so...so Chad.

Just thinking about it made me feel kind of sick.

Chad and Sonny...Chadson? Sad? Shad? Channy? Oh. That one at least sounded alright.

But we were so different! People always told me what a great couple we would make, but really, isn't that the stupidest thing you've ever heard? Chad Dylan Cooper and Sonny Munroe - DATING.

I really did not like him. I was even determined to tell him about it (honestly, I was pretty sure it was just another excuse I was making up to go and talk to him...but I would never admit that). He had a right to know what strong feelings of dislike I held for him. He deserved to know everything I thought about him. How selfish, conceited, arrogant and handsome he was. Wait. No. Actually, it was probably best for me to avoid him as my brain was starting to work backwards - complimenting Chad Dylan Cooper? Never.

But as any abnormal person would do, I disobeyed my conscience and made my way over to Stage 2.

He was standing just outside, as if waiting for me.

I cursed myself for ever coming here. Sighing quietly, I decided there wasn't any way I could turn around and walk back - after all, he'd just follow me...and I didn't want to bring my little problem all the way to So Random. So I plastered a fake smile on my face and took a few steps closer to him, until we were just inches apart.

"What are you doing, Munroe?"

Darn it - I hadn't thought this through.

"Um...just...visiting my favorite MacKenzie, that's all!" I giggled nervously. Why did I suddenly feel like fixing my hair? It probably looked fine, there was no need to obsess over it...it's not like I cared what anyone thought of me, right?

_Except Chad._

SHUT UP CONSCIENCE, I CAN HANDLE THIS WITHOUT YOU.

_Can you Sonny, can you really?_

DON'T YOU GIVE ME THAT! GO BACK INTO MY HEAD, WHERE YOU BELONG!

_I am in your head._

At this point I was angrily jumping up and down on the pavement, ready to punch myself. Wasn't my conscience really just my brain? And wasn't my brain just...well, me?

So supposedly, _I_ was trying to convince _myself_ that I had feelings for Chad. And at the same time, I was denying it.

What the heck was I meant to do now?

"Um...Sonny? Something wrong?"

I bit my lip. "Oh, no. Just...you know...girl stuff."

Oh, nice one Sonny. Girl stuff.

He muttered something about period dramas and shook his head slightly. "So...you...um...wanna have lunch at our table today? You know", he coughed, rushing through his explanation, "because your cast isn't here and all..."

Ah, so he'd remembered.

"Oh...well...with you? At the_ fancy_ table? Eating _fancy_ food?" I laughed, enjoying every minute of this. This wasn't the first time he'd gotten nervous around me, but it seemed sort of...different.

And just when he was about to answer, a tiny drop fell on my forehead. Then another. And another. Soon enough, it had started pouring down with rain.

We stood together, watching.

He looked up and I noticed his hair was no longer perfect. He didn't seem to care...he was just standing with me, letting the cool droplets fall onto his skin.

A strange sort of silence hung in the air. Neither of us said a word.

I thought about pointing this out, but decided against it. I enjoyed his company - and his silence - a little too much.

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><p><strong>EDIT: I've re-written the ending because the last one was just terrible. XP<br>**

**Review if you liked it, don't review if you didn't ;)**

**Love ya! xx Weenie  
><strong>


	3. Friday

_**Friday**_

The first thing I'd noticed on awakening was that it was surprisingly sunny. Yesterday's wet weather had given way to clear skies and soaring temperatures, leaving me happier than usual. And not because of Chad.

I jumped out of bed, bouncing towards the closet and flinging the doors open. Tawni had color-coded every piece of clothing I owned, so it was hard to miss my favourite yellow top in the middle of the rainbow arrangement. I paired it with a black skirt and checked myself out in the mirror. My lips had naturally formed themselves into a smile and my eyes were sparkling. I really did look great.

I ran down the stairs, nearly tripping over the last step and falling into the kitchen.

The microwave clock said 6:32am. Funny, I didn't feel the slightest bit tired. In fact, I felt like pancakes.

Laughing, I threw all the drawers open and searched for the cooking utensils. All I could find was a mini-spatula (something so cute it looked like a children's toy) and a spork. Okay then - mini spork pancakes would have to do.

I added a bunch of random ingredients in, completely forgetting the recipe I'd once learned from my mom. Chocolate chips, banana and pretty much anything that wasn't Chemical X made its way into the bowl. I mixed furiously, aware that it was now 6:56.

Time sure did go fast when I was cooking.

At exactly 7am, I had the first batch in the pan and refused to take my eyes off them, even for a second.

"WHY WON'T YOU COOK FASTER?!" I was running out of breath - either from shouting or from jumping up and down so much. Probably from doing both at the same time. Regardless of what I was doing, it wasn't helping.

Finally I gave up and flipped a few half-golden pancakes over, then began the ritual all over again.

Even with Mom away in Wisconsin, I wasn't _totally_ helpless. At times I actually thought I could cook more than her, anyway.

My phone interrupted the soft frying sounds with a jazz-like melody.

"OOH! I'll get it, I'll get it!" I giggled, hoping the neighbors wouldn't hear me talking to myself. "Helloo?"

"Sonny, is that you? You sound...sunny...today."

I smiled at Chad's choice of words. It was true, though - today was one of those days when my name fit me perfectly. Why couldn't these days come more often?

"I am! So, why are you calling?"

My heartbeat sped up a little.

I wasn't sure why.

"Just wanted to ask if you needed a ride to the studio today..." He sounded nervous.

"Chad", I laughed, "I don't bite! Why are you so scared all of a sudden?"

"I'm- I'm not. So you want a ride or not?"

"Yeah- OH MY GOD, THEY'RE BURNING!"

I let the phone drop to the floor as I rushed to save my still golden pancakes. I flipped them onto the only clean plate left and turned all the gas tops off. They still looked delicious (the pancakes, I mean).

Chad's muted voice was screaming at me through the phone, asking me to explain. He sounded like he was driving over already.

"I'll save you some pancakes!" I yelled and pressed the End button.

Grinning widely, I picked up my plate and spork and made my way to the couch, devouring one of the miniature pieces before I even made it to the living room. Chad would have to be quick if he wanted breakfast, because my stomach felt bottomless today. Perhaps I would save him something else, instead...like fruit. I'm sure that would just make his day. Fruit.

I ate my way through another few pancakes before I felt full, at which point I ran - okay, waddled - to the window and threw it open, watching for Chad.

I felt a bit like Juliet. _Except that would mean that Chad is Romeo_, my brain was quick to point out.

_Yes, brain, and that means we both die._

Feeling like I'd won the internal struggle, I went back to window watching.

My ride appeared sooner than expected. Chad jumped out of his car as if on fire and ran in the direction of my apartment.

"Hey! HEY!" I shouted the second one a little louder, hoping he'd notice before my voice gave out. When he didn't turn, I opened the window a little wider and threw the first object my hand touched at his head.

"OW!" He jumped as the spork hit him.

Huh - expert aim. Who knew.

"What was that for?"

"For being a drama snob. Now hurry up and get in the apartment before I find more utensils."

Luckily for me, he didn't realise I was bluffing - I didn't actually have any more cutlery available - and ran inside.

A few moments later, he was at the door.

"Sonny, open up! What is going on? Who's burning?"

I laughed, remembering my outburst due to the near mishap at breakfast.

I unlocked the door and smiled, "I was talking about pancakes."

He looked so confused just then - it was actually kind of cute.

"Sonny...I was worried about you! How could you scare me like that?"

"Wha...what?"

"Sonny", he began again, stepping a little closer and shutting the door behind him, "you really scared me. I thought something had happened to you."

I didn't understand. It wasn't like I'd been screaming in terror...and even if I was, why would Chad rush over to check on me? He didn't care that much, surely.

"Chad..." I smiled mischievously, "do you_ care _about me?" I put on my puppy dog face for good measure.

"You know what? I'm not even going to deny that." He was smiling as he turned away from me. "Come on, I'll drive you to work."

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><p><strong>Does Chad really...CARE?!<strong>

**Well, stick around and find out. (I sound like an ad on tv ;P)**

**Hugs to you all, thanks for reading! :) xo**


	4. Saturday

**As always, sorry for the terribly long wait! And thanks to IAmSRAK for reminding me to post this chapter!  
>My school holidays have FINALLY started, after weeks of exams and exam prep. Hopefully I'll finish this story soon! :D<strong>

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><p><em><strong>Saturday<strong>_

"Sonny, it's almost eleven."

"So?"

I heard him sigh on the other end of the line. Whatever, he should turn his phone off if he actually wants to sleep at night.

"Chad", I pleaded, "I want to go to the park!"

"Did you hear me? It's almost eleven at night, you should be going to sleep and parks are dangerous after dark!"

As if to prove his point, a police car drove past, sirens blaring.

I rolled my eyes. Just a coincidence.

"That's why I want you to go with me! Chad, please!?"

He was silent, probably trying not to give in.

"I haven't been out of the house all day - I've been thinking up new sketch ideas for Marshall. I really want to go to the park, and I want to go with you." I added that last part in for good measure.

His tone immediately changed. "You...you do?"

"Yeah..."

I realised then that my proposal sounded much more like a date than two friends hanging out at the park together. After all - a boy and a girl, late at night, walking through the dim-lit streets...

"This sounds a lot like a date." I heard him say.

"There, you see it too!"

I laughed, but he sounded unsure. Almost as if he wanted it to be a date.

I shrugged it off. _There's no way that's possible._

After a bit more convincing - okay, begging - he finally gave in, giving me about ten minutes to get ready. Despite the total darkness outside, I still felt like dressing up.

But not for Chad.

For me. Obviously.

I threw on a dark blue jacket, smoothing out the wrinkles on my clothes. I had been sitting down for far too long. The skirt I was wearing couldn't even be called a skirt anymore - more like a piece of crumpled polyester. I quickly changed into a sky blue (the colour of Chad's eyes, I noticed reluctantly) blouse and moved towards the mirror.

Meh, I looked alright. Nothing a little makeup wouldn't fix.

Five minutes later, I was leaning out the window, searching the darkness for Chad. His car pulled in and he honked wildly at me.

"Typical Chad - waking up the whole neighbourhood." I muttered under my breath.

I bounded down the stairs, stopping at the very bottom step. Shoes. Of course - I needed shoes. I rushed all the way up, grabbed my boots and then ran down again. By the time I'd reached Chad's car, I was panting.

"Excited to see me, Munroe?"

"Don't count on it." I lied, sliding into the passenger seat.

We sat in silence for a few minutes, neither of us knowing what to say.

"Sonny?"

"Mmm?"

"Where exactly are we going?"

Oh, right. The park was in walking distance. We wouldn't even need his car.

"We're going outside."

He looked at me, his eyes wide. "Wow, really?! I didn't know parks were outside!"

I smacked him on the shoulder. "Well then you're about to learn something new, aren't you?" I smirked and jumped out of the car.

Chad followed me down the street. He had to run to keep up with me - I was skipping further and further away from him. He clearly wasn't used to all this moving around...he probably had a limo just to drive him around his backyard.

"Sonny...stop...you're...too fast..." He was breathing heavily, almost hyperventilating.

I stopped and turned towards him. "Are you serious? You really can't keep up?"

That's when Chad's breathing suddenly returned to normal and his face broke into a smile.

He sprinted off ahead of me.

I caught a faint "peace out, suckah" as he sped off towards the park.

"OH, IT'S ON NOW, COOPER!"

I didn't even know he could run.

Eventually, I caught up to him, but only because he'd slowed down while crossing the road. I managed to get a bit of a head start while he double checked the road for cars, then, I ran off ahead.

A moment or so later, I noticed that I was all alone at the park entrance - Chad was nowhere in sight.

"Chad? Chad?" I called into the night, my voice rising a few octaves. I could feel the panic rising up in my chest. "Chad? I'm serious, this isn't funny!"

"Isn't it?" I heard a soft whisper in my right ear.

"Shit, CHAD!"

I spun around, almost elbowing the blond boy in the rib cage.

"Ow!" He yelped, breathless from laughter. He backed away from me, holding his stomach and moaning as if he'd just been shot.

"Oh, grow up."

I walked on without him, admiring the soft glow of the street lights against the pavement. I had never walked through a park in complete silence, but now that I had...I had to say, it was quite breathtaking. I felt as though I could hear even the quietest whisper through the darkness.

And that's exactly what I heard.

"Sonny?"

I didn't answer. Chad's (admittedly sweet) voice was breaking the silence.

"Sonny? Don't be mad, okay?"

Still no answer on my behalf.

"I'm sorry. I know I acted like a jerk. But since you called me over, can we at least enjoy the park together? You know, since I'm here..."

I finally turned to him. "Fine, but if you scare me like that again, then...then...I'm not talking to you."

"Oh, but how I love hearing the sound of your voice!" Chad cried out, twirling me around on the grass.

I giggled as I came face to face with him again.

He stepped a little closer, his voice almost inaudible, "Sonny...are you sure this isn't a date?"

My body froze as his question repeated itself over and over in my head. The problem wasn't the question - it was the answer.

Because the thing is...I wasn't sure anymore.

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><p><strong>Oh, I had so much fun writing this chapter! I hope you guys loved it as much as I did! :D<strong>


	5. Sunday

**_Sunday_**

"Who are you, and why are you calling me at four in the morning?" I demanded in a menacing tone.

"Who do you think?"

"I really don't want to play this game." I rolled over, onto my side, about to hang up.

"Wait!"

My eyes flew open.

Was that...

"It's Chad."

"God, I hate you so much right now." My voice was muffled by the pillow which I had promptly fallen head first into after hearing his name.

"Oh, touching. Okay, Munroe, you've got exactly three minutes to get your butt outside and into my car."

After a moment of silence, I burst out laughing. "My butt is not going anywhere near your car, thank you very much. And I doubt you're even here. You're probably lying safe and warm in your bed with a severe case of insomnia."

He paused. "Okay, the insomnia part is true. But you're the cause of it, you know."

I grinned sheepishly, forgetting he wasn't here to see it. Maybe it _was_ my fault...just a little.

"So what, because thoughts of me kept you up, you're going to keep _me_ up?"

"Yes."

"And I suppose you're not going to give up until I come downstairs?"

"Exactly."

I peeled back the covers reluctantly.

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Good!"

"Good! You have three minutes."

I rolled my eyes and hung up. Was this payback for me dragging him to the park last night?

I hopped out of bed and threw on a jacket over my pajamas. I brushed on a thin layer of mascara and dabbed on a little lipgloss. Something about this routine felt very familiar...oh, right. I had done the exact same thing about five hours ago.

Making my way out of the house was not easy. I turned on light after light, running through the house as if I'd seen a ghost. The truth was, I didn't like being alone in the dark.

I carefully tiptoed out into the hallway, locking the door behind me.

"Boo."

I shrieked, fumbling with the handle and trying to get back into the apartment.

"Relax, Sonny, it's just me." I felt a hand on my waist.

"IF YOU DO THAT ONE MORE TIME, I SWEAR TO GOD I WILL-"

Chad's laughter echoed through the hallway. Once he'd finally calmed down - after a punch or two from me - he asked, "So, you gonna invite me in?"

"Why should I? You woke me up at 4am, you scared the living daylights out of me and I'm pretty sure you've woken up the whole building!"

"Perfect." Chad flashed me a dazzling smile. "Well, since you're awake now", I glared at him, but he continued anyway, "why don't we go in and have a chat?"

Have a chat? Yeah, he really needed to get some sleep.

Just not in my apartment.

"A chat? About what?" I leaned back against the wall.

Chad cocked his head to the side. "Hmm, I don't know. Maybe about you running off last night?"

Oops. I was hoping he would have forgotten about it.

"You're not getting out of this one, Sonny. We were having a great time, and then suddenly you decide to run off and leave me standing there like an idiot, watching you walk away!"

"I can explain..."

"Can you?"

"I can!" I cried out, my feelings getting the better of me.

"Then explain. Explain to me why you invite me out to the park then bail on me just when I think we're finally getting along!"

"Oh but don't you see, Chad? That's the thing! We were getting along!"

He stared back at me, both of us speechless and out of breath.

"We were getting along a little too well." I added, quietly now, afraid to let him hear it.

He waited for me to continue, but I couldn't find the words. I looked down at the floor.

"I like it when we get along."

I was silent for a while, hearing only my heartbeat.

Finally, I whispered, "Me too."

Chad stepped a little closer, tilting my chin up so our eyes locked. I found my gaze drifting down to his lips, then back up to his eyes. His hands were on either side of me, his fingers playing with a loose strand of my hair.

I placed my palms on his chest, neither pulling nor pushing him back.

His hand moved to the back of my head as he pulled me closer, his lips brushing against mine. My eyelids fell shut. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and, in the moment that our lips connected, I finally realised why Chad Dylan Cooper was dangerous.

He had found his way into my heart.

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><p><strong>I think this may just be my favourite chapter yet.<strong>

**So, tell me how I did with that last scene, and tell me if there's anything you want in the last two chapters! That's right, guys, we're nearly at they end! :(**

**Oh, and I edited Chapter 2 (the end of it) so go re-read that! :D (AN EARLY) MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!**


	6. Monday

**EEEEEEE! The second-to-last chapter is here! I'm sorry it took me so long ;P  
>Also, if you haven't already, check out my new one-shot, Dr Chad...it'll give you something to do while you wait for the final chapter of Seven Days of Loving You to be posted! :D<strong>

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><p><em><strong>Monday<strong>_

"Hey Sonny! Sorry we sorta abandoned you last week...the flu doesn't mess around!" Grady laughed, pulling me into a hug.

"You're not mad at us, are you?" Nice chimed in.

I shook my head, smiling. How could I be mad? In fact, I was incredibly happy to see them (even Tawni, surprisingly). I couldn't wait to tell them everything that had happened while they were gone.

Well, not _everything_.

"Oh, it must have been horrible here without us!" Tawni exclaimed, looking around the room. "You probably had to hang out with the lunch lady...or worse: Chad!"

My castmates burst out laughing.

I laughed too. It didn't sound genuine, though.

"Oh my God, imagine that! Sonny hanging out with Chad for a week! They would probably murder each other or something!"

They continued laughing, Nico now acting out a little scene of what he thought my encounter with Chad might look like. It involved a lot of fighting.

"I don't think we would murder each other..." I muttered under my breath.

"So, who _did_ you hang out with, Sonny?" Zora suddenly asked, her eyes fixed on mine. The others also turned to look at me.

"Um..."

I honestly didn't think this question would come up. Or maybe I thought that I would be able to think of a good response - not quite a lie, but something that would sound believable enough. I couldn't. All I could do was play with my hair awkwardly, hoping for a miracle.

"Hey hey there, Randoms!"

I almost smiled, but stopped myself just in time.

"Ugh, who invited you?" Tawni groaned.

"Yeah, Cooper."

My cast zeroed in on him.

"Come on Sonny, let's go find a better place to talk." Nico narrowed his eyes at Chad and walked out of the Prop House, followed by Grady and Zora.

"You coming, Sonny?" Tawni paused at the door.

"Uh, yeah, just gotta grab something real quick..." I pretended to look for my phone on the table. "Don't wait up!"

She shrugged and followed the others out.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

But my relief was short-lived as I soon realised that I'd been left alone with Chad. I continued scouring the table for nothing in particular, trying to act natural.

"So I guess that's the end of...whatever it is we were doing."

My breath caught in my throat. He'd said it. He'd said out loud what I had been thinking for the past few days now.

This couldn't go on.

What Chad and I had been doing while my castmates were away was like a a parallel universe. Or maybe a dream. It wasn't real, and it wasn't supposed to happen.

"It's okay Sonshine, I knew it wasn't going to last. You have your world, and I have mine. They were never supposed to intersect."

I focused my eyes on the magazine in front of me. The letters looked blurry, for some reason.

"Thank you, though. Those five days with you..."

I felt a cold droplet run down my cheek.

He inhaled sharply, "Never mind. See you around, Sonshine."

He started towards the door, but hesitated just as he was about to turn the corner.

"Oh, and tell your cast not to worry - I won't be bothering you anymore."

I refused to lift my head. I didn't want the image of him leaving to be the last image of him I remembered.

So with one final goodbye, he left.

And I let him.

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><p><strong>Don't cry, my darlings. There's still one more chapter! ;)<br>Hugs and unicorns,  
>Weenie xxx<br>**


	7. Tuesday

**Here it (finally) is! I've been so busy juggling about five non-FanFiction stories that I haven't gotten around to doing this. So apologies to everyone!**

**I just noticed that there's a typo in the previous chapter. Instead of "Nico", it says "Nice". I'm not sure how I managed that, but it amuses me and I'm keeping it.**

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><p><em><strong>Tuesday<strong>_

There wasn't a concealer in the world that could cover up the dark circles under my eyes. It served me right, I supposed. I had kept myself awake all night, thinking in circles and coming to no logical conclusion.

Now, I was standing in front of the dressing room mirror, looking like I'd taken a punch to each eye over the course of the night.

Tawni sashayed past me, dropping a small makeup kit on the dresser in front of me.

"Thanks, Tawn." I smiled. I hadn't realised just how much I'd missed my friend.

"It's what got me through this whole 'flu thing', Sonny. It really helped me look like my normal, healthy, beautiful self!" She peered over my shoulder, into the mirror, and fluffed her hair at the roots. "And trust me," her face became serious, "you need it."

"Um...thank you?"

While I tried to make myself look presentable, Tawni stood back and judged. After a few minutes of watching me in silence, she stepped forward, snatched the bronzer brush out of my hand and sighed.

"Sonny. Have I taught you nothing? Does the word 'accentuate' even mean anything to you?"

I was afraid to answer truthfully, so I just shrugged helplessly in response.

"I'm guessing you've been this careless with your beauty routine all week." She looked genuinely upset. "I'm disappointed in you. Don't you know that makeup is essential for weekdays, weekends and scouting out cute guys?"

"Well maybe some guys don't mind me not wearing makeup! Maybe some prefer-" I quickly shut my mouth. My big, secret-spilling mouth.

Tawni eyed me suspiciously. I pressed my lips together, hoping this would stop any further words from coming out.

She was about to pounce on me with questions, but luckily, I was saved by the intercom.

"Would the following people please report to Mr. Pike's office immediately: Tawni Hart, Nico Harris, Grady Mitchell and Zora Lancaster. Thank you."

The intercom crackled and turned off. It seemed we would need to take a rain check on my unexpected interrogation.

I breathed a sigh of relief and sank down on the sofa. Now I could focus on the real problem.

Chad. Or rather, the lack of Chad.

Seven days were enough to get you attached to a person. Seven days were enough to drive you insane. And I certainly wasn't getting any saner, sitting here and thinking about Chad.

But seven days were too many to be a mistake. If anything, it felt like a decision. An irresponsible, reckless, amazing decision that had proved to be just as much Chad's as it was mine.

And now, I was about to make another decision, one just as impulsive as the first.

_Meet me at the Prop House. My cast won't be there._

I blushed a little as I hit "send". The message could be interpreted as some kind of secret rendezvous arrangement, but I really hoped he wouldn't see it that way. I mean, surely he wouldn't think that I wanted to...not after the way we ended things yesterday, right?

His reply came almost immediately. It was ridiculously short - only four little letters, just like his name.

That one "okay" was starting to mess with my head. I took a deep breath and made my way over to the Prop House.

Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale.

A couple of minutes passed.

He probably wasn't coming. Maybe his phone had just auto corrected his text and he wasn't planning to come at all. Or maybe he'd also caught the flu and therefore wasn't thinking straight when he answered.

Or maybe he just didn't care.

I was about to leave when he walked in, his hands in his pockets. I stopped in my tracks.

"You came."

"You asked me to."

We weren't especially eloquent today.

"We need to talk."

"Really? I thought you just wanted to show me around your studio," he deadpanned.

I ran a hand through my hair. He'd been so much easier to talk to this past week. Now he was back to his usual self, only calmer, more composed. I felt like he was doing it on purpose, to shut me out.

"Chad..."

His cold demeanor stayed perfectly in place.

It was getting increasingly difficult to maintain eye contact with him. His eyes seemed to bore into me, only with less feeling than usual. Perhaps no feeling at all.

"I don't want us to end the way we did."

He looked down. "How _do_ you want us to end?"

The answer was so painfully obvious (at least to me) that for a moment, I wasn't even going to say it.

"I don't!" My voice had somehow managed to break, despite there being only two syllables. "I don't want us to end! I don't want to walk around acting like nothing ever happened between us!"

Chad watched me, his face still expressionless.

I felt my eyes begin to moisten. I shook my head, feeling more and more foolish under his stare.

"What do you expect me to do?" I whispered.

"Damn it, Sonny!"

I spun around, searching for the owner of the voice. There was no one in the room but the two of us. But...I had clearly heard a girl exclaim...

The door of the sarcophagus opened, and out stepped Tawni Hart, tossing her hair behind her shoulder.

My jaw dropped to the floor.

"There's only one thing you _can_ do."

I froze, waiting for her to decide my sentence. Kicked out of the Prop House? Our dressing room? "So Random!"?

The latter was simply unthinkable. Even Tawni had a heart, right?

"Kiss him and make up already! Wow, where would you all be without me?" She shook her head and walked towards us. Suddenly, before I was even aware of what was happening, I was being pushed into Chad, our foreheads colliding with a thud.

Tawni sighed and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "about freaking time".

And then it was just the two of us again, standing as close as we had on Sunday, outside my apartment.

My heart was beating wildly; my stomach doing cartwheels among all the butterflies that had gathered there.

"I didn't expect that," I finally managed.

"Neither did I."

Chad's expression had softened. He stepped forward, closing the distance between us. My breath hitched in my throat.

"I don't want us to end, either," he murmured into my ear, brushing away a stray strand of my chestnut brown hair. "I mean, how could we? I haven't even told you I love you yet."

I had completely forgotten how to breathe.

"Do you?" My voice was barely audible.

He tilted my face towards his. Our eyes locked, finally admitting everything we'd been keeping bottled up inside. He leaned his forehead into mine.

"Of course I do." A smile played at his lips. "And what about you?"

"What about me?"

Now we were both holding back smiles.

"Do you love me?"

I leaned in, my lips almost touching his, our breaths mingling in the air between us, and whispered, "I'd be crazy not to."

* * *

><p><strong>So, it looks like Tawni ships Channy! :D Also, did anyone catch the "Guess Who's Coming to Guest Star?" reference? ;)<strong>

**Argh, it's now 2:25am. Worth it.**

**This brings us to the end of Seven Days of Loving You. It has taken me a ridiculously long time to finish this, but I hope you guys stuck around for the ending. Thanks to every single person who read and enjoyed this :)**

**Sending virtual Chads to all of you! xxx**


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